Editorial: Warren's entrance makes race more interesting

Associated PressIn this April 11, 2011, file photo, Elizabeth Warren, then-assistant to the President, speaks during a summit on consumer protection by the National Association of Attorneys General in Charlotte, N.C. The consumer advocate Warren is jumping into the Massachusetts race against Republican Sen. Scott Brown.

Oklahoma-bred, Harvard law professor and consumer advocate Elizabeth Warren ended speculation about her willingness to jump into the political fishbowl that is Massachusetts this week, announcing she’ll run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Scott Brown.
Warren’s entrance into an already crowded Democratic field for the seat previously held by Ted Kennedy is sure to garner national attention as did Brown’s improbable win over Attorney General Martha M. Coakley in the January 2009 special election.
During his campaign, Brown stormed the Bay State in his pickup truck, wearing what became his trademark barn coat. Since then, he has honed his rock-star image – and polls suggest he will be hard to beat.
But who thought Martha Coakley could lose?
It’s very early in the game.
There are six other Democrats in the race: Setti Warren, the mayor of Newton; Alan Khazei, cofounder of City Year; state Rep. Thomas P. Conroy; Bob Massie, the 1994 nominee for lieutenant governor; Herb Robinson, a Newton engineer; and Marisa DeFranco, a North Shore lawyer.
Despite the fact that she’s never held elective office, we think Warren is a formidable candidate.
The daughter of a janitor and store clerk, she grew up in Oklahoma and attended public schools and universities before becoming a bankruptcy specialist at Harvard. Before she returned to Massachusetts, she worked in Washington where she fought for the creation of a consumer protection agency.
Like Brown, she has a compelling story. Those who underestimated Brown, shouldn’t underestimate Warren. Politics is never dull in Massachusetts. We look forward to the race.